How many of us see old friends, close friends, or even complete strangers on social media that make us wish we had their life? They have a successful job. They’re raising a beautiful family. Maybe they’re chasing their dreams and achieving them with grace. Whatever amazing thing they’re doing, we all get a little jealous, don’t we?
You may not know this, but most of the time these “successful” people are thinking the same of other people.
Why do we think there’s this magical number of people who can be successful? We see someone doing what we hope to be doing days, months, or years from now and all of a sudden we lose hope that we can accomplish it. If anything, we should be inspired by these people, and they should help us believe we can be successful too.
Someone else’s success is not your failure. Another’s happiness is not your sadness. A person’s gain is not your loss. As the body of Christ, we should be uplifting those who succeed around us and celebrate with them (1 Thessalonians 5:11)!
Jealousy will do nothing more than hinder your success in life. And no amount of the other 7+ billion people’s success on this planet will determine your personal success. We ruin our success by living life in a spirit of jealousy, and you can bet your bottom dollar you’ll regret doing so. God has designed us all for a unique purpose on Earth and a unique success story (Jeremiah 29:11). He has a beautiful and perfect plan for our lives that leaves no room for jealousy!
“Who I’m Meant to Be” by Anthem Lights perfectly captures this whole idea of focusing on our personal story. I’ll include some of the lyrics below:
Everyone is on their way
But I am standing still
Comparing my “Behind the Scenes”
Against their highlight reel
I’m burning so much energy
Won’t let it keep distracting me anymore
I don’t wanna spend my life
Trying to fight for what’s not mine
I don’t wanna lose myself
In someone else’s dream
I know I was made with a purpose
To reach past the surface
Live life fearlessly
I want nothing less
Than to be who I’m meant to be
We don’t know the whole story God has written for us. The uncertain can be scary and make us feel like we are stuck in place while everyone is moving fast through life. But the book of Ecclesiastes shares the promise that there is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3). God is always working in our lives even when it feels like He’s not.
Focus on the incredible (maybe unknown, but still incredible) plans God has for your life. Celebrate others’ success and be inspired by it. As creations of God, we are limitless in what we can accomplish.
